Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has leapt to the defence of Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
The future of the Portuguese international has been the subject of intense debate ever since he re-signed for the club in the summer of 2021. Ronaldo has started just four Premier League matches this term, and has often been dropped by manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo has given an interview with Piers Morgan for Talk TV, where he accuses the club of “betraying” him and says he has “no respect” for Ten Hag. The comments made by the 37-year-old have caused a stir across the world of football.
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Souness, who has been both a player and a manager at Liverpool, has spoken about Ronaldo’s latest comments. The former Reds captain has claimed that he thinks the Man United striker has been “mistreated”, and has attempted to explain what he thinks has happened behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
“I choose to believe - although we don’t know the full story - I choose to believe Ronaldo has been mistreated here,” Souness told Talksport.
“That’s my take on it. I think someone’s told him a tale and not kept their word, simple as that.
“Logic doesn’t apply in the professional world of football, sometimes a lot of that [common sense] doesn’t either. Simple.
“We can talk about this all day, I’m choosing - because of my experience both in football as a player, manager and the experience - that they’ve had an agreement and the manager hasn’t kept it, that’s why it’s non-stop talk about Ronaldo, it’s pushed him to this point.
“I have to believe he will leave now, his bridge has well and truly burnt. I find it difficult he goes down this road without having something teed up in the winter.”
Souness added: “I certainly do [defend Ronaldo]. I come back to it, the meeting, two people speak, two people leave the room with an understanding and someone has not kept his word.
“He’s never spoken [out], he feels it’s time for him to come out for his side of the story. This is a player, in many people’s eyes as one of the best in the world… I think with him, he’s been told a story and the manager hasn’t kept it.
“If you look after this ‘agreement’, he doesn’t bring him on at City and it’s out of respect, a couple of weeks later, he’s wanting him to go on against Tottenham when the game’s won then he makes him captain.
“From the outside, I think the player has a grievance and I think he’s entitled to his grievance.
“This is how I saw the thing panning out. Ronaldo says he wants to leave, a new manager comes in, first thing the manager must do is sit him down and get his feelings.
“The two of them came away from that meeting with some sort of agreement whether it was Ronaldo accepting he’s not getting much games or he got some guarantees about how much game time he’ll get.
“This is how I’ve seen it, I have no insight, but Ronaldo is not coming back, he’s not committed to that.
“I look back at the last few weeks where he’s asked why he’s not brought Ronaldo on then a few weeks later, 2-0 up against Spurs, he refuses to go on. What does he want from Ronaldo in two minutes?
“I just think he’s [Erik ten Hag] messed him around, I believe - this is only my opinion - as a manager who managed for 20 years, I’m looking at the situation, it has to be that the manager has not gone through with the promises he’s made when they met. For him to say that is strong stuff. No respect.”
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